On 22 April 1999, Latvia took an important step in the history of international law: Foreign Minister Valdis Birkavs signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on behalf of the Republic of Latvia. It was the treaty adopted in Rome in 1998 to create a permanent court in The Hague for cases involving genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. Latvia ratified the Statute on 20 June 2002, joining the new system of international criminal accountability.

After restoring independence, Latvia deliberately strengthened its place in international organizations and the Western legal order. Signing the Rome Statute affirmed Latvia’s support for the principle that the gravest international crimes must not go unpunished.